Scottish Executive

Aggregates Tax

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government in relation to the economic and environmental impact of the introduction of the aggregates tax and the date of the tax’s introduction.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government to ensure that the introduction of the aggregates tax is in the best interests of businesses and in particular does not create additional costs for rural businesses or lead to the redirection of resources to main employment centres.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the aggregates tax.

Aggregates Tax

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the introduction of the aggregates tax will lead to any increase in the level of imports of finished stone products and whether this will have an adverse effect on Scottish businesses.

Allan Wilson: The levy will apply to imports, while exports will be exempt. The Executive, therefore, does not expect to see a large increase in the level of imported finished stone products.

Aggregates Tax

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the postponement of the introduction of the aggregates tax in Northern Ireland will place Scottish industry at any competitive disadvantage.

Allan Wilson: Assessment of economic impacts of taxation measures is a matter for HM Treasury.

Aggregates Tax

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Northern Ireland’s retention of a share of the Aggregates Tax Sustainability Fund will place Scottish communities at any disadvantage by impacting on Scotland’s ability to retain a sufficient share of the fund.

Allan Wilson: No, £3 million has been allocated to the Assigned Budget from 2002-03 through the Barnett formula.

Aggregates Tax

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding it plans to make available to businesses to mitigate any adverse affects of the introduction of the aggregates tax.

Allan Wilson: Most of the revenues raised from the levy will be returned to business through a 0.1 percentage point cut in employers National Insurance Contributions. The Executive has no plans to provide additional support in connection with the aggregates tax.

Asylum Seekers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what access to further education is available to the children of asylum seekers or asylum seekers themselves.

Ms Wendy Alexander: In September, the Scottish Executive announced an additional, annual £0.5 million to assist colleges' provision of basic English courses for asylum seekers. At their discretion, colleges may also offer access to part-time vocational courses and support for the cost of books and travel.

  These arrangements also extend to the dependants of those seeking asylum.

Civil Servants

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what its working arrangements are for responding to MSPs seeking factual and policy information directly from officials in its departments and when these arrangements were instituted.

Patricia Ferguson: From 23 April 2001, the Scottish Executive business directory has been available electronically to MSPs, their assistants and Parliament staff. Guidance on usage is available on the front page of the directory which links into more detailed guidance for both MSPs and Executive staff. MSPs and their staff are asked to use the directory to identify the appropriate member of the Executive's staff to contact direct for factual information, but are asked to do so only after alternative available sources have been explored. Inquiries about policy matters should continue to be directed to the relevant minister.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most up to date waiting list times are for people suffering from drug and alcohol abuse to obtain a place in a residential care home, broken down by local authority area.

Hugh Henry: The information requested is not held centrally.

Education

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why applicants for university places are asked to disclose their parents’ occupation and what discussions it has had with universities on this issue.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The content of the application forms is a matter for the universities themselves and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), the body through which all applications for university places are routed. The UCAS application form includes a question on occupational background which the guidance to applicants explains is used by UCAS for the purpose of monitoring equal opportunities. The information is used by UCAS in anonymised form for statistical purposes, such as the compilation of comparative data on application and entry rates from specific social groups. UCAS advises applicants that the information is not passed to institutions until after the selection process is complete.

Employment

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in improving the employment prospects of single parents.

Ms Wendy Alexander: : In Scotland, New Deal for Lone Parents has helped almost 13,300 lone parents to find work by September 2001.

  The Scottish Executive launched in July a new £24 million package of initiatives which aims to encourage lone parents into Scotland’s universities and colleges by making it easier for them to meet the childcare costs that prevent many from taking that vital first step to jobs and better incomes. An estimated 6,500 students could benefit from this overall package of support.

  Also one of the key aims of the Scottish Executive’s Childcare Strategy, which includes funding for local authorities of almost £50 million between 2001-02 and 2003-04, is to ensure that affordable, accessible, good quality childcare is available to all parents, including single parents, to enable them to take up employment and training opportunities.

Employment

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support the workforce at DAKS Simpson, Larkhall, following the withdrawal of interested parties from a potential buyout.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Scottish Executive officials are working closely with Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire to ensure support is being provided to those affected through the local response team in conjunction with the Executive's Partnership Action for Continuing Employment framework.

  The team is presently meeting the workforce to explain the support and advice that will be available. The support can include: full job centre services, one to one counselling, comprehensive information packs, access to high-quality training, seminars on skills such as CV writing and starting up a business, and access to IT facilities. A job shop will be set up at the plant from 7 January.

Environment

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, regarding its proposals for the regulation of the aquaculture industry announced on 6 December 2001, why the Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development did not announce those proposals in his speech to the Aquaculture Strategy for Scotland conference on 5 December 2001.

Allan Wilson: At the time of my speech, a letter outlining how I propose to take forward the conclusions of the review of regulation was being sent to the Transport and the Environment Committee, whom I was due to meet on 12 December. This afforded Parliament the opportunity to be fully informed of my proposals in advance, and ahead of any other interests.

  Details were then published on the Executive website and publicised in a news release the following day.

Health

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bone densitometry machines there currently are and whether it will give a breakdown of (a) the machine type, (b) the scanning type (whole or part body), (c) whether they are used for clinical or research purposes and (d) the location of each machine and, in the case of mobile services, the health board area which each machine serves and how their use is divided.

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what direct access general practitioners currently have to bone densitometry machines in each health board area.

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost of a scan by a bone densitometry machine currently is, broken down by machine type and health board area.

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give comparative details of any guidelines issued by health boards on eligibility for a bone densitometry scan, broken down by health board area and machine type.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Non-Domestic Rates

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the setting of a non-domestic rate of 47.8% for 2002-03 will place Scottish businesses at any competitive disadvantage to businesses in England and Wales and how the Scottish rate compares with the rates proposed for (a) England and (b) Wales in 2002-03.

Mr Andy Kerr: No. We propose to increase the Scottish poundage rate by 1.7% to 47.8p for 2002-03 in line with the retail price index. The poundage rate in England and Wales will also increase by the same amount to 43.7p and 43.3p respectively.

  Rates bills are a product of poundage rate and rateable values. Rateable values have been increasing faster in England than in Scotland. Small businesses in Scotland also benefit from a 2p discount which is not available in England or Wales.

Private Finance Initiative

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to fund further new projects in the National Health Service through the Private Finance Initiative.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS trusts and boards are expected to fully examine all procurement options in developing capital projects. Such options include the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) which is a form of Public/Private Partnership (PPP). However, the only projects which will succeed as PPP/PFI, will be those that are both affordable to the NHS trust or board and deliver better value for money than an equivalent publicly funded solution.

Private Finance Initiative

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to fund further new projects in the education sector through the Private Finance Initiative.

Cathy Jamieson: We have invited local authorities to submit bids for financial support for school Public/Private Partnerships which they may be considering taking forward. Full details of the bidding arrangements are set out in Scottish Executive Education Department circular 8/2001, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Public Transport

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to enhance public transport in Clydesdale.

Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-3764 on 13 September 2001.

Rail Network

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Railtrack plc following its decision not to support the Larkhall to Milngavie rail extension.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Railtrack on a wide range of issues.

Rail Network

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government and the Strategic Rail Authority on the Scotrail franchise.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Her Majesty’s Government and with the Strategic Rail Authority on a wide range of issues, including the ScotRail Franchise.

Renewable Energy

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it is having with oil companies over targets set for energy production involving renewable energy; which oil companies have been involved in any such discussions, and when any such discussions took place.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive’s published objective is that by 2010 renewable energy will account for 18% of Scottish electricity supply. This will be delivered by the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) which is already stimulating demand for renewable energy development, and some manufacturing opportunities. The PILOT taskforce on which the Executive is represented has conducted a Diversification/New Business Study into renewable energy diversification opportunities open to oil companies. The Executive and Scottish Enterprise, along with DTI, are now promoting these opportunities to a range of companies including the oil and gas sector. Discussions between the Executive and oil companies about individual renewable projects are subject to commercial confidentiality.

Roads

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what alterations, at which locations, have been carried out to the carriageway or signage on the A737 trunk road during 2000-01.

Lewis Macdonald: In addition to routine and cyclic maintenance works, alterations have been carried out to the A737 trunk road in 2000-01 as follows:

  Road and footpath reconstruction and drainage works in Beith from Roebank to the B777.

  Carriageway resurfacing and footpath upgrading from Monkcastle to Dalgarven.

  Carriageway reconstruction and widening and formalisation of existing roundabout layout at Roadhead.

  Accident Investigation and Prevention works which include provision of ramps at Linwood Interchange, traffic lights in Kilwinning and signing alterations at the A737/B787 Howwood Junction.

Roads

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what alterations, at which locations, have been carried out to the carriageway or signage on the stretch of the A78 trunk road between Stevenston and West Kilbride since January 1997.

Lewis Macdonald: In addition to routine and cyclic maintenance works, alterations carried out to the A78 trunk road on this section of the trunk road since 1997 include the following:

  Junction improvements at Parkhouse Road/Sorbie Road, Ardrossan.

  Junction improvements at Sharphill Road/Dalry Road, Saltcoats.

  Traffic calming measures in Seamill, Ardrossan and Stevenston which include pedestrian refuges, nibbings, improved road markings and appropriate gateway signing.

  Pedestrian island and right turn lane at North Crescent Road/Witches Linn Junction in Ardrossan.

School Meals

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18770 by Mr Jack McConnell on 22 October 2001, whether it plans to make it a statutory obligation for caterers providing school meals to comply with the Model Nutritional Guidelines for Catering Specifications for the Public Sector in Scotland issued in 1996 as part of the Scottish Diet Action Plan.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18064 by Mr Jack McConnell on 25 September 2001, whether it plans to introduce a statutory obligation on education authorities to provide school food of a nutritional quality which complies with the model nutritional guidelines issued with Eating for Health: Diet Action Plan for Scotland.

Cathy Jamieson: I recently announced, together with the Ministers for Health and Community Care and Social Justice, the establishment of an expert panel to make recommendations for wide ranging improvements in the delivery of school meals. Chaired by a Director of Education, the panel's remit will be to provide Scottish ministers with fully costed recommendations, and an implementation and monitoring strategy to:

  establish standards for the nutritional content of school meals;

  eliminate the stigma attached to free school meals and improve take up, and

  improve the presentation of school meals.

  The expert panel will include representatives from a wide range of sectors and stakeholders and it will operate in a consultative and participatory manner to ensure that the views of key groups such as parents, children and young people are taken into account. The panel is expected to report in the autumn of 2002 and I look forward to receiving their recommendations, which will be given careful consideration.

School Meals

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18772 by Mr Jack McConnell on 30 October 2001, how many education authorities have local arrangements for monitoring the nutritional quality of school meals; what those arrangements are, and how parents may access information about them.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.

School Meals

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18771 by Mr Jack McConnell on 20 November 2001, how parents who are concerned about the quality of food served in schools can obtain information about nutritional standards, particularly in circumstances where the caterers used by local authorities to prepare school food do not have that information.

Cathy Jamieson: I have nothing to add to the answer given by Mr McConnell on 20 November 2001.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Scheme

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether trustees of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes have the discretion to distribute sums to members or their dependants in addition to the sums that they currently propose to distribute.

Lewis Macdonald: The administration of the Scottish Transport Group (STG) pension schemes and the securing of benefits under the schemes are entirely matters for the trustees of the scheme. On wind-up of the STG pension schemes, and the dissolution of the Scottish Transport Group, any sum remaining in the group will fall to the UK Exchequer. Scottish ministers have, however, secured the distribution of up to £118 million by way of ex-gratia payments to former members of the STG Pension Schemes.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Scheme

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any correspondence between it and the trustees of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes and, if it will not, under which provision of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information a decision not to publish any such correspondence would be based.

Lewis Macdonald: No. It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Executive to disclose information which would harm the frankness and candour of discussion and advice given in confidence including between the Executive and the Scottish Transport Group and the Trustees of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes. The provisions of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access are relevant.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Scheme

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discretion under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information to place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre any correspondence passing between it and the trustees of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has discretion under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information not to release information which would harm the frankness and candour of discussion and advice or where any information was given in confidence.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Scheme

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will have any further discussions with Her Majesty’s Government regarding amounts to be distributed to members of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes or their dependants and any amounts from those schemes to be paid to Her Majesty’s Government and/or the Inland Revenue.

Lewis Macdonald: As I announced in the Parliament on 29 November, Scottish ministers have secured for distribution, to former members of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes, an additional £18 million by agreement with Treasury Ministers. This means that up to £118 million will now be distributed to beneficiaries. I have no plans to discuss this further with Treasury Ministers.

Textile Industry

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government in relation to support for the textile industry and, in particular, on ensuring the maintenance of a textile manufacturing base in Larkhall.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Textile manufacturing is a devolved matter, but I maintain regular contact with the UK Government on a range of industry matters.